USDA Files Notice of Appeal in SNAP Waiver Case

By Mary Hightower

The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a notice of appeal after a federal judge struck down waivers in five states that excluded purchases of candy, soda and other items from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

USDA filed the notice of appeal on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

In June’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia cited concerns over the definition of “food” and whether administrative procedures were followed. Her ruling came in a suit filed by five SNAP recipients that targeted waivers in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia.